Abstract

Chemotherapy is the primary component of the systemic treatment strategy for pancreatic cancer, which is a fatal disease. However, patients with pancreatic cancer still have a very poor overall prognosis and a low survival rate. Gemcitabine (GEM) is a chemotherapeutic agent that is frequently used to treat pancreatic cancer. However, the primary obstacle remains GEM chemoresistance. To address the issue of Triapine's poor solubility and suppress the GEM resistance of pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1/GEM), we prepared calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CaCO3 NPs) loaded with a nucleotide reductase inhibitor (Triapine). Using both 2D PANC-1/GEM cells and 3D tumor spheroids, CaCO3-GEM-Triapine NPs nano-formulations inhibited cancer cell proliferation, migration, and resistance to GEM, enhancing the therapeutic effect of GEM-based chemotherapy. According to the findings of the study, CaCO3 NPs containing GEM and Triapine may be an efficient treatment option for overcoming drug resistance in pancreatic cancer.